HOTSHOTS – Matthew Morgan (Ospreys)

There’s a feeling in some rugby circles that young players have the natural flair coached out of them, but Swansea coach Richard Webster is determined not to let that happen to outside-half Matthew Morgan.

“He just wants to run with a rugby ball and he doesn’t know anything else. He’s a breath of fresh air,” says the former Wales flanker.

Morgan, 18, is in his first season with Swansea. Having learned his rugby at Bridgend Athletic, Brynteg Comp and Pencoed College, he made such an impression in his first month with the All Whites that he won the Principality Premiership Player of the Month award and was picked to play for the Ospreys in the LV= Cup victory over Leicester.

Webster noticed the former Wales U18s player when he turned out for Bridgend in the last month of last season, helping to save them from relegation from Swalec League One East. The youngster nearly turned down that opportunity – “It was the weekend of my 18th birthday and I had been planning a weekend off,” laughs Morgan.

He’s small in stature but Webster says: “He’s powerful. I had no fears about putting him in the first team. He’s got to improve his kicking and game management but when a boy can run like that you don’t care.”

Born in Reading, Morgan moved to Wales when he was eight. His brother Tom is a Swansea back-row and his family have helped to keep him grounded. Now the Ospreys and Swansea are working together to maximise his potential.